By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Hopefully, we are beginning to set the record straight. We have heard so much misleading information criticizing biotechnology that we could go down the European road. In Europe, GE food is not on the plate. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, with more than 60 experts, has […]
John Block: GMOs Are Safe Read More »
Every election year, former Senator George McGovern (SD), the 1972 Democratic Nominee for President, seems to find his way back into the news, and this one, 2016, more than most. Comparisons come up routinely between McGovern’s 1972 campaign against the Vietnam war and the Democratic Party’s then-exclusionary nominating rules, a movement that inspired a generation
George McGovern: My Turn Read More »
The Department of Labor this week announced a final regulation that changes the tests for determining whether executive, administrative, and professional employees are exempt from federal overtime requirements. Now is the time to evaluate whether your employees qualify as exempt. The Final Rule focuses primarily on updating the salary and compensation levels needed for Executive,
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block As a farmer, I would not like it if Europe shipped subsidized beef into our market. That would undercut our prices. What if Brazil shipped subsidized soybeans to us? We would be furious. Did you know that the U.S. government does this all of the time? Think about it
John Block: Peanuts Read More »
As published in Agri-Pulse The landmark civil rights lawsuit by Indian farmers and ranchers against the Department of Agriculture for discriminatory lending practices has come to a conclusion (barring any unexpected turn of events on appeal). U. S. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan approved an agreement reached by the Government, counsel for the plaintiffs’ class,
$380 Million Keepseagle II Settlement Reached Read More »
Please see Dr. Nina Fedoroff and former USDA Secretary John Block’s op-ed featured in the New York Times on April 6, 2016 – Mosquito vs. Mosquito in the Battle Over the Zika Virus.
NYT: Mosquito vs. Mosquito in the Battle Over the Zika Virus Read More »
Anyone who has spent time around political circles in Washington, D.C., knows that, by this point in a presidential campaign, leading candidates have usually gathered around them a network of advisors connecting them to key issues and constituent groups. And agriculture is usually at the forefront. Since at least the 1990s when I worked as
Where are the “Farmers and Ranchers for Donald J. Trump”? Let alone for Ted Cruz? Read More »
FDA is scheduled to issue regulations finalizing its proposed Nutrition Facts label soon according to the US Regulatory Agenda. Many food companies and trade associations are eagerly awaiting the final rules to see how the agency will handle the most controversial provisions. One part of the proposed rules would require the disclosure of added sugars,
People often ask why Washington has to involve itself at all in providing crop insurance to American farmers. After all, homeowners across the country buy fire insurance, individuals buy life insurance, business owners buy casualty and liability insurance, all without taxpayers having to kick in subsidies. So why are farmers any different? Why the special
A Tale of Two Maps: Why Crop Insurance Is Different. Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Nancy Reagan was laid to rest this week. She was a very elegant First Lady and she was number one on President Reagan’s list – the love of his life and a trusted defender of the President. She was not interested in getting deeply involved in policy issues. However,
John Block: GMO Legislation Read More »
By former CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord Leap year occurs every four years when an additional day is added to the calendar—February 29. This is a corrective measure to account for a lack of precision in the earth’s orbit around the sun. According to old folk traditions, during a leap year, role reversals are common, upsetting
The Leap Year Effect at the CPSC Read More »
By Marshall Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse Q. Is there a connection between the Zika virus and global food security?A. Yes. Genetic engineering has an important role to play in meeting both challenges. The mosquito is the deadliest animal on earth. According to the World Health Organization, mosquitoes are the greatest menace spreading malaria, dengue, yellow fever
The Zika-Agriculture Connection Read More »
There is a need for an interstate structure to provide coordination and regulatory oversight of medical marijuana (cannabis) use in the 23 states that have approved its use by either referendum or legislation. Five jurisdictions — Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia — have now also authorized the recreational use of cannabis.
Interstate Structure to Oversee and Regulate Medical Marijuana Read More »
By Marshall Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse. These comments were first presented to the National Association of Wheat Growers. The 150,000 to 180,000 wheat farmers in America are facing a double-barrel challenge: The declining role and power of agriculture generally; and The declining position of wheat farmers compared to both foreign competition and compared to other major
Wheat Faces a Double Challenge Read More »
USDA’s Federal crop insurance program has benefited from a unique public-private partnership that is one of the most successful in government. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) and Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) set the insurance policies, subsidize them and regulate them, but they rely on private agents and insurance companies (called Approved Insurance Providers or
For Crop Insurance AIPs, a New Financial Environment Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block: Hello everybody out there in farm country. This is Rick Frank sitting in for John Block. This radio commentary is brought to you by John Deere and the National Corn Growers Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies
John Block Reports: A Case Against Mandatory GMO Labeling Read More »
By Marshall Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse Earlier this month, I summarized the agriculture positions of the candidates for President on both sides of the aisle. You can read that column here. Since that time, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) who is running for the Democratic nomination, (“Bernie” as he prefers) has released a position paper on agriculture entitled
Bernie on Agriculture Read More »
They did it. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have completed their personal work on the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016, and got it approved today with a unanimous vote of their Committee members. They did it. They crafted a bill
Last week the CPSC’s Office of Small Business Ombudsman unveiled a new tool to help businesses marketing new consumer products navigate the complex CPSC regulatory landscape. This useful new tool is called the Regulatory Robot. The program asks small businesses making new products a series of guided interview questions, and, based on the answers, produces
Take a Look at CPSC’s Regulatory Robot Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I asked a couple of friends of mine in Illinois and Kansas – what do you think of the newly released Dietary Guidelines? Their answer – what Dietary Guidelines? The public is not paying much attention while the issue has had wide discussion here in Washington, D.C. Every five
John Block: Dietary Guidelines Read More »
The Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services have released the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) following what had been a captivating review of the Scientific Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a process that began in 2013. In the end, the Guidelines continue many of the recommendations made by the 2010
By Marshall Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse As far as politics goes, there is one and only one issue that will dominate 2016…who will be elected the next President of the United States on November 8. After the primaries and caucuses, and come the general election in the fall, all eyes will turn to swing states –
Agriculture Trumped in the Primaries Read More »
Happy New Year, readers! Yet another year has come and gone. I hope that 2015 was a good year for you, professionally and personally. As I look back on 2015, here are a few developments that caught my attention. In January, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a long awaited discussion draft of the
2015 In Retrospect Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The U.S. Congress didn’t get much done this year until December. Agriculture had a long wish list that just sat on the table. But surprise! We came out better than I thought we would. First, the Congress passed a five-year, $305 billion dollar transportation bill. Our roads and bridges
John Block: What Did We Get Done In 2015? Read More »
America’s meat industry and our trading partners engaged in a collective sigh of relief on Friday. Prior to embarking on his annual Christmas retreat to Hawaii, President Obama signed the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law. Tucked into the 2,009-page bill was a measure that repeals USDA’s special country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements for fresh and
Beef and Pork are Now Un-COOL, and That’s a Good Thing Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The World Trade Organization ruled this week that Canada and Mexico can impose retaliatory tariffs on our exports to their countries to the tune of more than 1 billion dollars per year. This is serious. It can cost pork producers, cattlemen, and our whole ag industry a lot of
John Block: Repeal COOL Read More »
New House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is getting a lot of attention for a speech he made on December 3 outlining his 2016 goal for a pro-growth agenda – creating jobs, raising wages, fixing the tax code, trade agreements, and national security. In that speech, he also suggested that he would like to “…combine a
Speaker Ryan Suggests SNAP May Be On the 2016 Agenda Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block On the one hand, it makes me smile, and on the other, it makes me scratch my head. A lot of people are not sure if this Congress will get their business done without shutting down the government. I think they will avoid a shut down, but the process
John Block: This & That – The Politics of the Day Read More »
Following a request from the U.S. Trade Representative, the International Trade Commission (ITC) has instituted an investigation, Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors, under section 105(c) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4204(c)), to assess the likely impact of the
ITC to Study Economic Effects of TPP, Invites Stakeholders to Participate Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Last week, six former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture released a letter urging the Congress to pass the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Support for passage is bipartisan and enthusiastic. Standing together, you have: Secretary Ed Schafer, Secretary Mike Johanns, Secretary Ann Veneman, Secretary Dan Glickman, Secretary Mike Espy, Secretary
For over two decades, when assessing the propriety of a “natural”-type claim (e.g., “natural,” “all natural,” “100% natural,” “from nature,” “naturally grown,” or “naturally sourced”) made in food labeling, FDA has applied an informal definition set forth in the preamble to a final rule implementing the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. See generally
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block USDA and HHS are close to issuing the 2015 version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines, issued every five years, must be based on “the preponderance of the scientific and medical knowledge current at the time the report is issued.” That is a pretty high standard and
John Block: 2015 Dietary Guidelines – Will They Be Credible? Read More »
As we detailed in an earlier blog post, the White House issued a July 2nd executive memorandum on “Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products.” The memo directs the relevant federal agencies – FDA, USDA, and EPA – to update the federal government’s Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology, which was created in 1986 and last
GMO Regulatory Reform: The Way Forward Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement is sitting in Congress now. It was not an easy process to get the deal this far. If we can find the votes to pass it, it will be a big win for the American farmer. Now, on the Atlantic side, we are
John Block: European Trade Deal Read More »
By former CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord Did anyone else notice CPSC’s recent recall of ceramic mugs? The agency is concerned about 4400 mugs with hairline cracks. The hazard is not that they could break and cut the user, or that there could be sanitary issues with germs being trapped in the cracks, but that hot liquids might
Killer Coffee Mugs?! Really?! Read More »
